On Azure Wings

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
ideas for next chapter (need help with decisions)

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash sat on a plush cloud overlooking Sweet Apple Acres, watching the sunset. Vivid reds, oranges, and yellows emitted by the falling sun splashed across the panorama before her, contrasting with the dimming blue sky. Vibrantly coloured leaves floated in the still air, lazily piling in the grass below. Autumn was one of Rainbow Dash’s favourite seasons, and she was eagerly anticipating the Running of the Leaves that was now only a week away. It would finally give her another chance to show Applejack who was really the greatest athlete in all of Equestria. She could almost taste her inevitable victory, and grinned as she imagined the look on the country mare’s face when she bested her at her own sport.

Rainbow Dash’s weather duties had ended earlier than normal today, all she had to do was buck the clouds just right to elicit a light drizzle over the farmlands to water the crops, and prepare the clouds for a warm afternoon. Once, there was a time when she wouldn’t have cared much for the sunset, but being around her friends had helped her appreciate the simple beauty in things. Maybe Fluttershy was rubbing off on her.

Dash’s ears perked up, walking down the orchard’s path below her was a familiar orange filly with a purple mane. Scootaloo’s head was hung low, her ears folded back. She was crying.

Rainbow Dash leapt off her cloud, and floated down to the filly. Her brow furrowed in concern, she hardly ever saw Scootaloo cry. Whatever it was, it must’ve been serious. “Hey kid, what’s wrong?” she asked gently, landing beside her.
Scootaloo looked up at her, blinking back the tears that were burning in her eyes. “O – Oh, Rainbow Dash. I was just, admiring the leaves,” she stammered, barely choking out the words.

Dash frowned, clearly unconvinced. “Scootaloo, don’t you lie to me,” she said sternly. “Whatever’s bothering you, I promise I’ll understand.”

“You could never understand!” the filly shouted. Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the filly pushed past her, galloping into the orchard and leaving a stunned Rainbow Dash behind her.

Dash had been searching for Scootaloo in the seemingly endless orchards of Sweet Apple Acres for hours. Part of her was angry that she had run off on her like that, but she knew that whatever was bothering Scootaloo was serious. She was just too stubborn to ask for help. In all the years she had known the filly she had never acted like this, and Dash was never one for subtlety when it came to solving problems. The night was almost still but freezing cold, silent save for the faint rustling of leaves and forest animals. She scratched her head with a hoof and wondered how Applejack was able to navigate these fields without getting lost during late night harvests. Then she saw a faint orange glow illuminate in the distance. Somepony was at the Cutie Mark Crusader tree house. She took off for it, praying Scootaloo was there.

Scootaloo huddled in a corner of the treehouse, shivering under the ragged blanket she had carried with her in her saddlebag. Scattered on the floor around her was the entirety of her possessions – a neatly wrapped cupcake, the cutie mark crusader dress that she had now grown out of, her riding helmet and goggles, and the damning eviction notice. She squeezed her eyes shut, futilely trying to shut out the screaming inside her head, and the endless replay of painful memories from just a few hours ago.

The bully, a brown coloured Pegasus colt named Gnasher, glared at the cowering foal at his hooves. “That’s a nice necklace you’ve got there,” he sneered, pointing a hoof at the fire ruby hanging from her neck. “I bet it’s worth a lot. Give it to me.”

“N – NO!” she stammered, backing away from him. “Please. My mother gave it to me, before she died. It’s all I have left to remember her! It was a birthday present!”

“Oh, now I really want it,” the Pegasus chuckled wickedly, advancing on her. The foal backed up against the wall, screaming for help. Nopony answered her pleas, the sooner one learnt stay out of Gnasher’s way, the better. “It’ll sell for quite a price at the markets.”

“Hey, Scootaloo, look.”

Scootaloo was roused from eating a daffodil sandwich by her unicorn friend, Syrup. The little Pegasus followed the young colt’s pointing hoof to gaze at the other side of the orphanage’s playground. The colts and fillies were backing away cautiously, or trying to pretend that nothing was happening. “It’s Gnasher again. He’s picking on the new kid.”
Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m just glad he’s letting up on us, he’s been taking my food for weeks,” Syrup said. His stomach growled as if in agreement. Wordlessly Scootaloo leapt off the playground bench and cantered to the other side of the playground, seething. Gnasher had been tormenting foals every since he arrived, and nopony had done a thing about it. Not even the caretakers, who conveniently were never around when he acted like this. The poor filly was young, she’d lost her parents, and now this monster was going to take away the only thing that she had to remember them by to add insult to injury.
Not this time.

“Scootaloo? Scootaloo are you crazy!?” Syrup exclaimed, galloping in front of her. “You can’t just -” Scootaloo shoved him aside.

The foal screamed as Gnasher wrenched the necklace from the foal’s neck with his teeth. The filly broke into choking sobs
.
“Give. That. Back.”

Gnasher turned. Scootaloo stood behind him, her wings unfurled threateningly. “Ex-cuuuse me?” he growled, advancing on her. His eyes narrowing. “Did you just talk to me, little filly? Because it sounded like you talked, but I didn’t give you permission to.”

Scootaloo gulped, the colt was bigger, stronger than her. She felt as if her brain had frozen. Her survival instincts screamed at her to run away.

“Well, did you!?” the colt demanded, towering over her. A tense silence broke over the schoolyard, the other ponies stopped playing. All their eyes were on her. Scootaloo said nothing as he stared her down, her head hung. Her nerve broke. Why would she risk getting hurt for a total stranger? Nopony messed with Gnasher for a reason - he was unnaturally well built for a Pegasus, and he never got caught by the adults. Gnasher smirked. “I didn’t think so.”

Scootaloo grit her teeth, flushing with shame. What would Rainbow Dash do?
“I said,” she spoke, raising her head to face him. Her eyes seethed with rage. “Give. It. Back!”

The ponies around her gasped in shock. Nopony ever spoke against Gnasher. “You must’ve hit your head pretty hard, Scoot,” he said. “What do you care for this foal? She’s not your friend.”

“I’m not leaving till you give it back.”

“Fine,” the colt snarled, turning away from her. “I’ll make you!” he bucked at her with all his might. Scootaloo grit her teeth as pain exploded through her breast, her world tipping upside down as she hit the playground floor with an agonising thud. She rolled to her hooves, only in time to see the angry colt flying towards her. His brutish head slammed into her nose, sending her sprawling on her back.

Scootaloo fought to catch her breath, coughing and tasting blood in her mouth. Gnasher advanced on the spluttering filly, a wicked grin on his face. The other orphans shrank back in fear, thankful that at least they weren’t the target of his attention.
“You’re a pathetic excuse for a Pegasus,” Gnasher growled, standing over her menacingly. “Consider yourself lucky you’re an orphan, no parent wants to see their kid grow up to be a loser.”

Scootaloo’s brain snapped. The colours of the world around her flushed out in a sea of red.
Scootaloo kicked out with all her might, her hoof slamming into Gnasher’s crotch with a painful squelch. The colt’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks as he keeled over clutching at his privates.

“Don’t you ever insult my family or I’ll end you!” Scootaloo screamed, annunciating each word with a stomp to his wings. She didn’t feel or hear anything but the blood pounding in her ears, she couldn’t even the screams of her fellow orphans.
Nor the crunch of shattering bone.

Everything else since then was a chaotic blur. The caretaker ponies had pulled her off him and restrained her. Gnasher was sent to the Ponyville hospital. Doctors found Scootaloo had shattered his wings in half a dozen places and broke the news that Gnasher may never fly again. There was no place in the Ponyville orphanage for violent fillies.
Scootaloo cursed. How could she have been stupid? In a blind fit of rage to defend a complete stranger, she had thrown away her home and the friends she had made there. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t feel, all she could do was shut her eyes and cry.

Rainbow Dash landed softly in the doorway of the clubhouse, the scooter parked outside was a clear sign that Scootaloo was here. Dash’s brow was furrowed angrily for running away from her, but her face softened when she saw she was crying so hard she didn’t even notice her.

Scootaloo looked up as she felt a comforting wing reach over her. Her eyes widened, shocked that Dash had been searching all night for her. Then again the mare was stubborn like that. “Hey, Scoots,” Rainbow Dash said softly, smiling down at her. “It’s alright, I’m here now. When you’re ready, please tell me what’s wrong.”
A good few minutes passed before Scootaloo was able to talk again, she wiped the tears from her face. Rainbow Dash smiled down at her reassuringly, she was sure she could help her get through whatever was bothering her.
“I’m an orphan, and I’m homeless.”

Except that. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, a lump forming in her throat. She didn’t know what to say. She had known Scootaloo for four years now and all this time, had no idea she had no parents. Then she realized the damning bits of evidence now started to come together – Scootaloo calling in sick on Family Appreciation Day, refusing to having Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle over at her place (attributing it to strict and protective parents), and the filly always being alone. Dash fought down the rising guilt. Scootaloo looked up to her so much, and yet she had done nothing for her except treat her like a nuisance.

“I – I’m so sorry Scootaloo,” Dash said earnestly, hugging her. “I had no idea.”

“It’s not your fault. I was stupid,” Scootaloo whimpered. “I... I picked a fight with a bully and got kicked out of the orphanage.”
Dash’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not fair!” she exclaimed. “Bastard probably got what was coming to him. Why I ought to go down there and -”

“I broke his wings, Dash,” Scootaloo said, unable to bring herself to look at her idol. “He won’t ever fly again. I’ll never be able to go back now.”

“Scoots, I would’ve done the same thing,”Dash said, rising to her hooves. “But you know what? I wouldn’t let you go back even if you wanted to. It’s about time I started looking after my friends. From now on, you stay with me.”
Scootaloo’s smile was so wide that Dash was worried her face was going to split.

Chapter 2

“This is where you live!?”

Rainbow Dash gestured proudly to her cloud house, though a better term to describe it was a Citadel rather than a house. It was a masterpiece of pegasi architecture. From her vantage point on Rainbow Dash’s back Scootaloo could see the main structure was formed out of magical crystallized rainwater, the tower wreathed in wisps of clouds sculpted for decoration. True to her namesake, three fountains poured artificial rainbows that oozed the viscous liquid into pools on the clouds below. The filly’s mouth hung open in awe. Every detail had been constructed with the care and attention of an egotistical perfectionist.

“Yes, I actually sculpted this myself out of clouds,” Rainbow Dash said proudly. “It took awhile, but I only accept the best.” She folded her wings, and looked back at her passenger with concern. Scootaloo was staring at the clouds beneath Dash’s hooves, her eyes wide with fear. “You okay back there?”

“I... I’ve never walked on clouds before,” she admitted.

Rainbow Dash gaped at her, but it made sense. Despite being a mare Scootaloo still couldn’t fly and she hadn’t told anypony that she was an orphan, so she would never have been in the clouds before. Rainbow smiled at her. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing to it,” she reassured her. “It’s no different for us pegasi than walking on the ground.”

Scootaloo gulped, gingerly dismounting from her back. She tested the cloud surface with a single hoof, it should have passed right through the wispy substance but it felt as solid as dirt. “H – How is that possible?” she asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “No idea, it’s magic, I guess.”

Scootaloo put all four of her hooves on the clouds, it felt bouncy, like as if she was on a trampoline. She followed Rainbow Dash to her doorstep, where she unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping into her home’s lobby. Oh Celestia! Sootaloo thought. Her home’s so big she has her own lobby!

Scootaloo giddily followed her inside, barely containing her excitement at the prospect of finally seeing her idol’s home. “It’s good to be back,” Dash said, turning to her. Her brow furrowed in concern, and she put a hoof up to the filly's face. “Oh my, I didn't realize this before, but Scootaloo you’re a mess!”

Scootaloo hadn’t even realised that she still had the bruises and bloodied nose from her fight with Gnasher. “That colt got a few lucky hits in,” she muttered.

“Well he’s lucky I wasn’t there, or he’d have more than just broken wings,” Rainbow Dash growled. “Follow me, Scoots, you should get yourself cleaned up.”

Scootaloo followed Rainbow Dash up the spiral staircase to the shower room on the first floor. She opened the door, letting Scootaloo trot inside. “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Dash said, standing in the doorway. “Come see me in the kitchen on the floor above when you’re done.”

With that Rainbow Dash trotted up the stairs to the kitchen. Scootaloo awkwardly glanced about the room. Unlike pegasi and unicorn showers, there was no mechanical assistance to speak of. Two clouds jutted out of the wall, kind of like taps so she supposed that was what she was supposed to use to operate it. She trotted over to the tap-shaped clouds, but noticed a door in the corner. Curious, she opened it, and found that it led into an exercise room with all manner of high class workout equipment and weights, no wonder Rainbow Dash was always able to keep in such athletic shape.

Walking back to the shower, she reached down to the tap shaped cloud on the left and gently turned it with her hoof. A spark of lightning ignited in the cloud above her, making Scootaloo nearly jump out of her skin. Her hoof turned too far, sending a torrent of icy cold water onto her head. She yelped, leaping out of the stream. A few tries later, she finally managed to get the temperature right and allowed herself to relax under the stream of water.

Finally, with some time to think, the reality of what had transpired started to dawn on her. She couldn’t believe her luck. She should have been homeless, an orphan who was too unruly to keep around, too violent for society, and too ashamed to seek help from anypony out of her own stubborn pride. Yet she had been adopted, after so many years of waiting. But it wasn’t just by anyone, of all the mares in the world that could’ve been her new parents Rainbow Dash had chosen her. She was her idol and the one pony who she loved more than anypony else in Equestria.

She began to wipe the dried blood off her snout, being careful to not agitate her nose. She didn’t want it to start bleeding again. She rubbed at her sore bruises, Gnasher had hit her hard but at least nothing was broken. She sighed. Scootaloo hated that colt more than anypony else, and was glad that she had been the one to finally put him in his place, maybe he wouldn't bully the other fillies and colts at the orphanage so much anymore. She was also responsible for ruining his life.

For the rest of his life he’d be a cripple, mocked and laughed at by ponies as mean spirited and cruel as he was. Maybe if Scootaloo hadn’t fought him, he someday might’ve grown out of being a bully and become a good stallion, or maybe somepony much worse and had gotten exactly what he deserved. Maybe he might learn something from all this. No matter which way she sliced it, she had permanently grounded him before his life even began. Not that she’d want to, Scootaloo would most likely never see that colt again to see the result. Despite her injuries and all that bastard had put her through, she felt guilt throb in her stomach at the thought of committing what many pegasi would consider just as bad as murder.

"No, he was bully," Scootaloo told herself, clenching her eyes shut as if trying to hide from the guilt. "He doesn't deserve pity, I gave him exactly what he deserved." It was a poor excuse, but at least it eased her regret. The water poured over her mane, washing out the dirt and dandruff that had gathered over the weeks of neglect, and turned off the water. Soaking wet, she trotted over to a cloud at the other side of the bathroom and prodded a cloud jutting out the side of the wall. A stream of soothing warm air blew over her, drying her coat and mane. By the time she was dry again, she was the most refreshed she had been in months.

She put Gnasher to the back of her mind, Rainbow Dash was all that mattered now. Scootaloo left the bathroom and trotted up the staircase to the kitchen, where Rainbow Dash was waiting. Despite Dash’s home being in the clouds, the kitchen and the adjacent living room at least had a sense of normalcy. The delicious smell of dandelion and tofu-cheese pizza wafted into her nose. It may have been just a common household treat but to her, it might as well have been the finest cuisine. “I’m not the best cook,” Dash admitted. “So I usually just order takeout, I hope that’s alright.”

“It’s more than alright,” Scootaloo beamed at her. “At the orphanage all they gave us was a daily serving of hay and oats.” She gulped, eyeing the pizza hungrily. “Um, can I have a slice?”

“Scootaloo, you can have the whole thing,” Dash laughed, pushing the box towards her. “I’ve already had dinner.”

Scootaloo hesitated. She had never asked anypony for food before, and had always declined offers with excuses that she was full or had food waiting for her at a home that didn’t exist, even if she was starving at the time. "The whole thing? Dash, I -"

"Scootaloo, I've got a stable government job at the rainbow factory," Dash said. "I've got plenty of money, you're not a burden." She gave her a sympathetic look. "Is that why you always said you weren't hungry at your sleepovers with Applebloom and Sweetbelle?"

Scootaloo anxiously pawed at the pizza's crust. "I... I never did want to be a burden on anypony," Scootaloo said. "I guess you could say that I felt ashamed."

"Kid, being an orphan doesn't make you less of a pony than anypony else," Dash said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "You're staying with me now, and I'm not going to let you starve."

Stomaching her pride, Scotaloo picked up the doughy food in her hooves, anxiously she brought it to her lips, taking a bite. Her mouth felt like it was exploding with flavour. The pizza was unlike any food the orphanage had ever offered. The warm, sticky taste of melted cheese, the tingle of dandelions and sunflowers, such a simple thing, but it was the greatest thing she had ever tasted.

Rainbow Dash chuckled as the filly scoffed down the whole thing like as if she had never eaten before. It was adorable. Usually a full pizza was meant to serve three ponies, Scootaloo finished the entire thing in under a minute. "I can see you liked that," Rainbow said, beaming at her.

Scootaloo gave her idol a sheepish grin, "yeah, best thing I've ever tasted," she admitted. Rainbow Dash folded up the box and tossed it into the bin by the fridge. "Thank you, I don't think I would have accepted food from anypony else."

"As long as you're staying here, my home is your home," Dash said, patting her affectionately on the back. "Say, I'd like to show you something, I think you'll love it."

Scootaloo trotted with her out of the room and followed her up the spiral staircase to the next room. Rainbow Dash opened the door, and stepped inside, gesturing proudly. Scootaloo’s jaw dropped as she walked inside, glancing about the room. All around her, glittering in the artificial light of a solar core globe was the largest collection of trophies and medals she had ever seen. Dozens of platinum and gold trophies glinted in the light like little monuments attesting to their owner’s talent. Behind each one was a story of crowd stupefying stunts, aerial acrobatics, or cutthroat races all won before thousands of jeering fans. Each time the mare who had never graduated from flight school proved that she was the fastest and best of all of Equestria.

“You won all these!?” Scootaoo exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”

“Winner of Best Young Fliers Competition three years in a row, winner of Best Adolescent Fliers Competition four years in a row, winner of Best Stunt performed at the Royal Equestrian Air Force Air Show two years in a row, I could go on,” Rainbow Dash said proudly, puffing out her chest. “Just in case you had any doubts you had the coolest parent in all of Equestria.”
“I don’t think anything could make me doubt that,” Scootaloo said, grinning.

Rainbow Dash ruffled her mane affectionately. “Well I better get to sleep,” she said. “I’ve got an early shift at the rainbow factory tomorrow morning. Last time I overslept I nearly fell into a vat of Spectra.”

“That’s okay, I’m pretty tired myself,” Scootaloo said. “Do you have a couch or something I can sleep on?”

“Oh Scoots I can do better than that,” Rainbow laughed. “Follow me.” Scootaloo obediently trotted after her to the bedroom, noting that she uncharacteristically had a bookshelf loaded with a books from the Daring Do series and its many spinoffs from the same author.

Adjacent to her bedroom was a guest room. It was a quaint, humble abode but at least a clean one, not like the bunks back in the orphanage that offered no privacy from the other fillies. Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash with teary eyes and hugged her. “Thank you, thank you so much for all of this, Dash.”

Rainbow Dash hugged her back. “Consider this payback for all the times I’ve ignored you, and all those times I made you feel like I didn’t care.” She ruffled her mane affectionately. "Sleep well, kid." With that, she closed the door behind her.

Rainbow Dash stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep, unable to fight down the guilt. She should have known that something was wrong with Scootaloo, she shouldn’t have treated her like a mere nuisance all these years. The young filly had always looked up to her, always wanted to be like her, and yet she had never taken her seriously. Rainbow Dash knew what it was like growing up without parents. She considered herself lucky, when she dropped out of flight school she should've been a shunned failure of a pony, but her skills in both racing and weather control had allowed her to land a stable government job at a young age. Poor Scootaloo hadn't even been able to fly yet, and she still didn't have her cutie mark despite years of searching for it.

The most curious thing was that despite her age, Scootaloo still couldn't fly. Pegasi were usually able to fly by the time they were able to gallop, but Scootaloo's wings couldn't even lift her off the ground. Rainbow Dash suspected a disability was at work there, pity the orphanage hadn't cared enough to look into it. Maybe she could take her to Doctor Stable and see what he had to say. Either way, all these questions would just have to wait for tomorrow. M She closed her eyes, and soon drifted off to sleep.

Authors note: This story can go effectively anywhere from here so I would like you dear readers to sound off in the comments of where you would like it to go next :3

Chapter 3

Author's note: Sorry this took so long to produce, future chapters will hopefully be faster. I have been working on a creative project for an online and physical miniatures game played with the mlp figures that can be found on my dedicated DA profile: ponyfiguregame.deviantart.com I am also looking for artists to commission and improve the layout of these alpha cards

“You’re a pathetic excuse for a Pegasus!”

“Consider yourself lucky you’re an orphan, no parent wants to see their kid grow up to be a loser.”

“Talk about my family like that again and I’ll end you!”

“Help! Someone help! She’s killing him! HELP!”

The shadows swelled, looming overhead and screaming from their ethereal mouths a cacophony of voices. I cowered, huddled in a foetal ball with gritted teeth and hooves clamped over my ears. The faces of these ethereal beasts writhed and contorted into shapes I recognised: the face of Gnasher, howling in agony; the frightened fillies and colts screaming for help; and the furious faces of the orphanage overseers.

“No! You can’t just kick me out!”

“Scootaloo, if it weren’t for the many eye witness accounts solidifying the justification of the attack, you would be charged with first degree malicious assault and be sent to prison. Consider yourself lucky you are only permanently evicted from the orphanage. I’m sorry Scootaloo.”

The faces melded together, swirling and forming into those of my parents. Their forms were fragmented, bits and pieces of detail scarcely remembered from an undeveloped mind all those years ago. In other dreams they had smiled down at me, reaching out to me. As if they were just out of foreleg’s reach to touch and embrace. Those dreams had always comforted me. But now, they were scowling.

“Look at her! She is no daughter of mine!” the shadow bearing my father’s face spoke. “Homeless, jobless, she’s nothing but a burden on society!”

The other shadow bearing the face of my mother shook its head despondently, “We had such high hopes for you, Scootaloo,” she said, looking down at me with sad, hopeless eyes. I felt my stomach sink even lower. “Now you’ve become a parasite. No one will ever want you.”

I snarled. “No!” I shouted. “You’re wrong! Rainbow Dash...”

“Do you really think Rainbow Dash wants to baby you for the rest of her life?” my mother retorted. “She’ll be rid of you when she realizes you’ll just slow her down!”

“You’re a stupid Earth pony in pegasi clothing, a sick joke on all Pegasus kind. You haven’t, and never will amount to anything!” my father shouted, stomping his hoof.

Anger flared through me, I never asked to be a flightless cripple. “Stop it...”

“Rainbow Dash never cared for you, you’re nothing but a nuisance!”

“And now she’s taken you in because she pities you!”

“Shut up!”

“Scootaloo?”

My eyes fluttered open at the gentle touch of a hoof on my shoulder. For a moment, I expected to feel the familiar stiff mattress of my bunk bed back at the orphanage under her back, hear the banter and laughter of the orphanage fillies, and be back in that place like as if my time with Rainbow Dash yesterday had just some surreal dream.
When I looked into those eyes, when I saw the genuine concern and care in them, it evoked memories of me as a little filly being held in my mother’s arms; cradled and loved. I knew she hadn’t just taken me in out of mere pity. “I am now,” I said, hugging her.

Rainbow sighed in relief, “I’m glad, you were shouting in your sleep.” She hugged me, her embrace warm and motherly. “You must’ve had a terrible nightmare.”

I stared at the floor, embarrassed. “I’m sorry.”

Rainbow Dash looked me in the eyes, “do you want to talk about it?” she asked, gently. My ears flattened against my head, would she understand? “Come on, Scoots. You can tell me anything.”

“I... I dreamt that my parents were ashamed of me,” I said solemnly, turning my head away. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. “They told me I was nothing but a parasite...”

Rainbow Dash ruffled my mane affectionately, “kid, does it really look like money is important to me?” she asked with a sympathetic smile. “You’ve always been good to me. You even started up a fan club in my honour, and all I did was avoid you like a nuisance.”

“Dash -”

Rainbow Dash put a gentle hoof on my mouth, silencing me. “Let me finish. You were always there for me, you supported me when nopony else did, and I basked in all the praise you gave me. I did nothing to earn that. I should be the one feeling guilty here.”

I smiled a little, knowing how hard it was to get any semblance of an apology out of Rainbow Dash. “Thanks. I really needed that.”

Rainbow Dash hugged me. “Well, I’ve gotta get ready to leave. My shift at the Rainbow Factory starts in an hour.” My ears flattened, she was leaving already? I couldn’t fly so if she left, I’d be stuck in the cloud house, alone, while she was gone. She wouldn’t have time to drop me off at Ponyville since that was in the opposite direction of the rainbow factory from her house so she wouldn’t make it to her shift on time. Rainbow Dash looked thoughtful. “Would you like to come with me?” she asked.

My eyes lit up in excitement, I had always wanted to see the weather factories and how they worked. “I’d love to!” I exclaimed. “But, are you allowed?”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “As long as you don’t fall into a vat of spectra, it won’t be a problem,” she chuckled. “Go downstairs and have some breakfast, I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

I slid out of bed onto my hooves, and over the next twenty minutes ate my breakfast (a delicious dandelion and sunflower soup, much better than the cuddy, grassy slop they fed us at the orphanage), brushed my teeth (with a new toothbrush! Back at the orphanage we had to use the same brush until the bristles had worn down to a frayed mess), and combed the frizz out of my mane with a horseshoe-mounted hairbrush. Looking better than I had in months, I trotted downstairs to the lobby of the cloudhouse where Rainbow Dash was waiting, and we took to the air.

The air was pristine, the sky empty save for the two of us. I hugged Rainbow Dash’s neck, bracing myself against her back as she soared through the morning air. My wings sat tucked against my sides, instinctively begging to be unfurled and feel the wind beneath their feathers. Oh how I envied her: how she flew with the acrobatic mastery of an aerial goddess above crowds of onlookers stupefied with awe, the freedom to go anywhere she pleased unrestricted by muddy roads, rainy weather, and populated city centres. I felt honoured to fly with her.

“Say Scoots, I’ve been wondering,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’re reaching adulthood, but you still can’t fly.”
I sighed, she was bound to ask sooner or later.

“I wish I knew,” I said, ashamed. How strange that the greatest flier in all of Equestria had adopted the worst flier in the country. “The colts and fillies at the orphanage used to tease me about it all the time. They used to try plucking my feathers out, claiming that I had no use for them.”

Rainbow Dash looked back at me with wide eyes, and scowled. “Ugh, kid’s can be so cruel. Back in flight school I had to protect Fluttershy from her share of pluckings,” she hung her head. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t always be there. Did you give them the what-for?”

“I gave them a fair share of bloodied noses and broken teeth,” I said, smiling. Those were actually some of the fonder memories of my time at the orphanage, when their smug grins and jeering laughter became a mess of bloodied teeth and painful whinnies. “After awhile they left me alone, save for that one colt named Gnasher.”

“That’s my girl,” Rainbow Dash said, grinning back at me. I swelled with pride. “Anyway, I get the feeling that whatever’s stopping you from flying isn’t natural.” She mused to herself, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “It’s clear your wings aren’t broken since I’ve seen you propel yourself on your scooter with them and I don’t think it’s a weak muscle issue either.”
“Do you think that Twilight would know?” I asked.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Rainbow said. “It couldn’t hurt to ask her after work.”

Soon, looking like the gates of heaven itself, the gates of the rainbow factory loomed overhead. They were made of the finest gold, sculpted to perfection. Rainbow Dash alighted on the cloudbed, and I hopped off her back. Standing by the gates was a pair of Pegasus Royal Guards. The sight of them made me uneasy. In the past, I only saw them around the palace and areas vital to Equestria’s protection. Rainbow Dash trotted ahead of the two of us towards them, a grin on her face. I didn’t share her enthusiasm, meekly averting my gaze from their suspicious eyes.

“Hey boys,” Rainbow Dash called to them as she approached, as if they were friends. When she stopped by them, I realized that the guards were at least twice her size.

“Good morning, Miss Rainbow Dash,” one of guards said pleasantly. He looked down at me, huddled behind Rainbow Dash. He frowned in suspicion. “Who’s your friend? I don’t recognize her.”

“Oh, this is Scootaloo,” Dash explained, sidestepping out of the way. I felt my heart sink as the guards scrutinized me. “Straight from the orphanage, I adopted her just last night.”

“Oh, well, congratulations,” he said, his expression softening. He nodded to his subordinate, who promptly pulled a lever. The gates shuddered, and with a loud whirring of gears they swung aside. “Enjoy your day, miss.”

Rainbow Dash wished them a good day and trotted through the gates, myself gingerly trotting behind her. The gates slammed shut behind us, and I looked up at the awe inspiring sight of the factory.

We were standing on a cloudbed that formed a courtyard that looked so prestigious it could have been mistaken for something taken out of Canterlot’s royal gardens. Dozens of factory workers, who I guessed were on their break, were congregating around several fountains that produced not water, but a beautiful blend of a glowing chromatic liquid (which I was fighting down the temptation to taste). At the end of the courtyard was the facility, and to say it was awe inspiring would be a grave understatement. It was huge, watching over the little workers below like a benevolent giant. At the head of the structure was a large, squat building which I assumed was where the rainbow materials were gathered and stored. At the centre of this building was an ornate spire wreathed in rainbow coloured fumes billowing from the lower smokestacks.

“So, what do you think?” Rainbow Dash asked. A knowing smile was on her face.

I struggled to find the words. “It’s... beautiful,” was all I could say.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “It has that effect on me too, sometimes. Follow me, I’ll show you around.”

We trotted through the courtyard, taking in the sights of the factory, the colourful and happy workers talking and laughing amongst themselves, and the rainbow liquid pouring from the fountains that I was fighting the temptation not to taste. Overhead, a flock of Pegasi were carrying an enormous metal container; the words “DANGER: RAW SPECTRA” were printed on it. But there was one thing I couldn’t shake from my mind.

“I was wondering, Dash. What are Royal Guards doing here?” I asked her quietly.

Rainbow Dash frowned, her expression serious. “The last few months have been rough,” she explained. “See, every Pegasus city has their own way of making rainbows and controlling the weather, Cloudsdale’s the most prosperous because we’re the best at it. Other cities would kill to discover our secrets, and the last few months we’ve had our fair share of saboteurs and thieves posing as regular workers.”

“They seemed awfully suspicious of me,” I muttered, getting the feeling that I wasn’t going to be getting the warmest reception.

“Ah, don’t worry about Brutus,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling reassuringly. “He’s just doing his job.”
Another pair of Royal Guards were standing at the end of the courtyard, before the doors leading into the facility. After going through the same awkward and suspicious introduction again, we were allowed on through.
The inside of the facility was, contrasting with its colourful outside appearance, a dull shade of grey. We were standing in a large room, around us, dozens of pegasi workers were carrying more of those containers of raw spectra into a large chute that I guessed transported them to the spire. There were conveyer belts carrying curious-looking pony-sized capsules. The only colour in the room came from its most impressive feature: seven vats, each the size of a house. Each of them was pouring a stream of colourful liquid into coagulating pools that were being stirred by pegasi workers carrying enormous oar-shaped objects. Standing atop these vats were pegasi workers, who were meticulously pouring the colourful liquid into their top.

I could imagine it would be easy to get lost in here, even with the roadmap of signs and arrows on the floor directing workers to their appropriate jobs.

“I work in the upper spire,” Rainbow Dash said, pointing a hoof to a flight of stairs. “It’s up this walkway.”
I obediently followed her up the stairs that led to a small room where the workers put on their gear before heading up into the spire. The room was crowded with the morning shift’s newly arriving employees, all putting on one of the strangest uniforms I’d seen: a full-body suit with thick boots and padding that contained thermal magic to keep them insulated. Adorning their heads was a round, reinforced glass helmet. Rainbow Dash trotted over to what must’ve been her locker and pulled out a thick pair of work clothes, one in her teeth the other in her hoof.
“Here, put this on,” she said through the uniform in her mouth. “Spectra combusts at high temperatures, so we keep the spire ice cold.”

I slipped on the uniform and set the fishbowl like helmet over my head. The getup reminded me of one of those spacemare costumes I’ve seen a few times in science fiction novels and movies. “What’s all the protection for?” I asked her.

“Raw Spectra’s hallucinogenic,” Rainbow Dash explained, trotting towards the elevator. “One whiff and you’ll get the greatest high you can imagine.” As tempting as that was, I made sure my helmet was screwed on tight before I followed her into the lift.

ideas for next chapter (need help with decisions)

Author's note: this will be deleted once the next chapter is ready to be posted, but here are my following thoughts on what I'd like to do:

Rainbow Dash works at the rainbow factory and her co workers are Derpy, Cloudchaser, and Flitter. Thunderlane is her supervisor. There are two ways I can handle rainbow production:

The factory is like a prison and criminals have all the colour drained from them by a machine, which is where the spectra comes from, these criminals then have to either face exile or be branded as social outcasts because everypony can tell that judgment has been passed on them for a heinous crime. The spectra's colours relate to the criminals'. It would also potentially create more conflict in the case of a criminal escaping or trying to keep them under control.

The factory produces rainbows via a magical means using something along the lines of a crystal suspended above a magical ooze, when light shines on the crystal it disperses it into the colours of the rainbow which is then absorbed by the ooze and changes its colour to form spectra.

Either way while there Dash converses with her co workers about adopting Scootaloo and one of them suggests that she take her to see a prestigious private doctor that helped one of her foals who had the same problem. With that idea in mind, Rainbow Dash could take Scootaloo to the practice and prepare to have her treated (I'm not sure on the nature of the disability yet, I've always theorised that Pegasi have an innate magical ability to negate weight, perhaps this innate magic isn't working for Scootaloo) but with the ridiculous cost of the operation, Scootaloo will need to find employment and will work with Dash at the factory for the time being until they can afford it.

Comment below on criticisms, ideas, etc. and I'll get around to doing the next chapter asap :3